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About a month ago, it was reported that the NBA was proposing three new rule changes. The changes had been proposed by the NBA’s competition committee, and would be voted on by the board of governors.
Well, the board of governors has voted, and, not surprisingly, all three rules have passed.
Sources: The NBA’s Board of Governors passed rule changes for season that include: reset of shot clock to 14 seconds after offensive rebound; simplification of clear-path foul rule; expanding definition of "hostile act" for purposes of triggering replay.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 21, 2018
The change in shot clock rules will result in the shot clock resetting to 14 seconds after an offensive rebound, rather than 24 (even if the shot occurred prior to the 14-second mark).
Whatever your feelings on this (I like it from a flow perspective, but studies have shown it doesn’t make much difference), it serves the great purpose of moving towards continuity across professional leagues. Currently, the WNBA, G League, and FIBA all use this rule as well, so there is much-needed consistency.
The clear path foul rule will increase what constitutes a clear path foul. With the new rule change, players won’t be able to foul in transition to stop the play from occurring - that will be a clear path foul, even if the defender is ahead of the offensive player.
Finally, the hostile act replay use has been extended, to include acts directed towards coaches, referees, and fans.
All three rules should help make for better basketball, and they’ll all be implemented for this coming season.